Spanish protesters rally against politicians and banks

By
Euronews

Thousands of young people took to the streets of Spain’s capital Madrid again on Sunday.

They were angry at high unemployment and politicians who they said were not doing enough to reverse the country’s bleak economic prospects.

Chanting “They don’t represent us” the protesters converged on the Spanish parliament building determined to send a message.

A 29-year-old, Jose Luis, said: “The politicians continue to ignore us, they keep saying we are protesting against the crisis, because of unemployment. What we are protesting against is their attitude, we don’t like it, they ignore us when we are out here in the streets. We have a clear message, but they water it down, manipulate it and say other things.”

Similarly fed-up Spaniards marched in other major cities, including Barcelona where protests turned violent earlier this week.

Though they are vague about what should change, the protesters blame bankers and politicians for Spain’s more than 20 percent unemployment rate, which among young people is over 40 percent.

The latest protests were organised by the M15 movement – a group that came together using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter.

It came one week after demonstrators removed their tents from central Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, where they had been camping in protest at the government’s handling of the country’s economic crisis.

The 25-day protest, which at one point managed to bring out 28,000 demonstrators, became a world-wide symbol of Spanish discontent. With the encampment dismantled, M15 plans a series of protests across Spain organised in local neighbourhoods.